Appendix C. Narratives Prepared by SEII-Central West
The Story Heard About Seniors - December 4, 2002
There is a sense of loss of choice as health declines for seniors. As people get older, they begin to meet the social and health care systems. Some seniors may choose to opt out of the system to protect themselves from institutionalization. There is an inherent sense of fear around institutions, such as nursing homes, and being less able to take care of themselves.
Seniors also have a lessening of choice due to the increased cost of living coupled with their lowered income levels. While some seniors may experience an increase in income due to the selling of assets (e.g. farms, houses, etc.) in general, there is a decrease in their revenue from a lack of paid income. Some seniors also face the issue of running out of funds, because of living in expensive retirement homes. Senior women are particularly vulnerable, because they tend to survive longer than men, and must face limited financial resources.
Seniors may lose their networks of social support (e.g. church, clubs, neighbours, family, friends, etc.) for a number of reasons. For example, some seniors move from an urban environment to a rural or small town setting, because it is less expensive and they have a perception that there is a stronger sense of community in rural settings. On the other hand, seniors who once lived in rural settings move to smaller towns, or urban areas for more convenient lifestyle. However, with the closing of churches, community centres in both rural and urban areas, seniors have reduced opportunities to maintain and develop relationships with others.
Furthermore, seniors also face the loss of loved ones and may be farther away from their families and friends due to geographic distances. For example, seniors who live on farms or in small towns may not have continual support from their families because they have moved to the city. Some seniors may choose to move to the small town or urban settings, because they cannot keep up the farm or find it more difficult for financial and transportation reasons. These seniors may feel disconnected from their familiar way of life that they were used to for several decades in the rural settings due to the drastic change in their environment. There are several factors that are contributing to a fragmentation of social support among seniors.
With declining health, seniors increasingly rely on the support of friends and family to provide assistance with transportation to medical appointments, shopping, and general household duties and maintenance. The social support network of seniors living in rural areas is extremely important, because in general, there is a lack of transportation and support services provided by formal agencies and municipal structures. Similarly, in urban settings, seniors also rely on the support of friends and family, because they may fear the use of public transportation.
The Story About Youth - December 4, 2002
There were a combination of issues identified that the youth population experience in both urban and rural areas. There is a sense that youth have no place to gather with their friends and no way to get around the area that they live. Municipal structures and formal institutions, in general, discourage the gathering of youth in public places through the enforcement of bylaws and failing to plan and develop public spaces for youth to gather. For example, there are bylaws that prevent youth from having places to skateboard and play ball hockey. Furthermore, some public spaces, such as parks, where youth have traditionally gathered are becoming unsafe. The closing of churches and community centres in both urban and rural areas is weakening the historical strength and community structure. Overall, there are less public spaces for youth to gather.
There is a fear of youth gathering on their own without adults present. There is a distrusting of youth by adults. For example, there are an increasing number of stores, such as convenience stores that restrict the number of youth entering their stores. They display signs that state only two or three students at a time, and make students hand over knap sacs at the counter due to a fear that youth with shoplift. The distrusting of youth by adults maybe related to fear, because of their appearance (e.g. piercing, tattoos) that express their individual identity.
There is an absence of adult presence in the lives of youth. Youth end their school day in mid afternoon and are unsupervised by adults for several hours until their parents arrive home from work. For families that live in rural areas, parents face longer commuting times resulting in less amount of time for them to spend time with their children and provide them with transportation from after school activities and jobs.
Youth who live on farms and have chore responsibilities are often not able to participate in recreational activities, because they are often held at times when youth must do chores. In rural communities, there is also a lack of job opportunities for youth.
Many families who once lived in urban centres are now moving to more rural settings, because of less expensive housing, and they feel that there is more sense of community. However, youth feel even more isolated in rural settings, because they lack transportation and places to gather with friends. The independence of youth is often limited, because parents have a perception of fear with allowing their kids to use vehicles in rural areas due to the road conditions. Similarly, in rural areas, youth are discouraged from using public transportation or walking to destinations, because of safety issues. For youth that live in suburban areas, they may rely on their parents to drive them to activities, because of the far distances to community centres, shopping malls, etc.
Overall, youth are feeling disconnected from their communities. They do not feel valued and accepted as contributing members of society, and as a result, do not participant in civic life. They are less involved in their communities for a number of reasons. Furthermore, the services to meet the needs of youth are diminishing with the closing of formal institutions.